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DuPont to close Hooker Falls for safety upgrades

Bruce MacDonald, assistant forest supervisor with DuPont State Recreational Forest, speaks during a press conference at the site where a new parking lot is under construction near the current Hooker Falls parking lot on Wednesday. The construction will double the size of the current parking area.

Published: Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, April 17, 2013 at 5:21 p.m.

Within the next couple of weeks, DuPont State Recreational Forest will close the heavily-used Hooker Falls Trail and parking lot for up to two months while constructing a new pedestrian bridge and expanding parking, forest officials said at a news conference Wednesday.

The $600,000 project will make Hooker Falls inaccessible during May and June, said Bruce MacDonald, DuPont's assistant forest supervisor. But visitor safety will be improved by doubling parking at Hooker Falls and building a 120-foot-long pedestrian bridge that will provide easier access to Triple Falls.

The prefabricated bridge, made of weathered steel with wooden decking, will cross Little River from the Hooker Falls lot to near the Triple Falls trailhead, alleviating the need for thousands of visitors to hop guardrails and cross busy Staton Road each year.

“It will be high enough that most storm events are not going to bring water up to the bridge,” said Forest Supervisor David Brown. “People will come off the pedestrian bridge, walk under the highway bridge and on up to Triple Falls.”

Forest advocates have worried for years that someone would be injured or killed crossing Staton Road, which is often lined with parked cars when the Hooker Falls lot is full. That overflow has occurred more often as DuPont's popularity skyrocketed following its featured role in the “Hunger Games” film and national magazines.

The forest had a historic-high 358,000 visitors in 2012, nearly half of whom parked at Hooker Falls.

Another parking area with 60 spaces will be added at Hooker Falls following construction of the pedestrian bridge, MacDonald said, and the connections between the lots will be widened to allow two-way traffic. Holly Road and Moore Cemetery Road will also be closed temporarily during work.

Tree-clearing and site preparation work by the N.C. Forest Service and N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation began last week. Officials hope to widely publicize the upcoming closures so visitors can adjust their plans and expectations during the forest's “growing pains,” MacDonald said.

“There were some folks last week that were kind of disappointed when we had the area closed,” he said. “We'll do the best to get the word out. In the end, it will be a better place to visit and safer, and this is just part of that process.”

For updates on trail and parking access, visit www.ncforestservice.gov/contacts/dsf.htm or www.facebook.com/NCForestService.

More improvements on the way

The bridge and parking lots improvements, funded by the N.C. Department of Transportation, are among a host of improvements coming to DuPont this summer. On July 1, the forest will open its Aleen Steinberg Center at the High Falls Access, which will provide educational exhibits and visitor information.

The newly remodeled 2,600-square-foot visitor center is being funded with $85,000 from Friends of DuPont Forest and $277,000 allocated from a $2.24 million settlement the state won from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Manager Bob Twomey said the volunteer-run center will be the “hub of activity and the first access point for visitors.”

Working with Friends, Trout Unlimited, Pisgah Trailblazers and other groups, Twomey has already gotten 39 applications and signed up 15 volunteers to staff the center. He said the rustic log building will feature “magnificent displays,” the most prominent of which will be a 7-by-8-foot raised relief map of the forest's core showing waterfalls, trails and peaks.

The Apple Valley Model Railroad Club has volunteered to create the map, Twomey said, which will be on par with the “amazing displays” at the Historic Depot on Maple Street. EcoWise Construction of Hendersonville is remodeling the center.

Trail crews are also scheduled to finish extending about a mile of Turkey Knob Trail over to Briery Fork Trail in time for a June 1 opening, MacDonald said. High Falls Trail has already been extended to the Steinberg Center and improvements to the Grassy Creek and Grassy Meadows Trails are also in the works.

<p>Within the next couple of weeks, DuPont State Recreational Forest will close the heavily-used Hooker Falls Trail and parking lot for up to two months while constructing a new pedestrian bridge and expanding parking, forest officials said at a news conference Wednesday.</p><p>The $600,000 project will make Hooker Falls inaccessible during May and June, said Bruce MacDonald, DuPont's assistant forest supervisor. But visitor safety will be improved by doubling parking at Hooker Falls and building a 120-foot-long pedestrian bridge that will provide easier access to Triple Falls.</p><p>The prefabricated bridge, made of weathered steel with wooden decking, will cross Little River from the Hooker Falls lot to near the Triple Falls trailhead, alleviating the need for thousands of visitors to hop guardrails and cross busy Staton Road each year.</p><p>“It will be high enough that most storm events are not going to bring water up to the bridge,” said Forest Supervisor David Brown. “People will come off the pedestrian bridge, walk under the highway bridge and on up to Triple Falls.”</p><p>Forest advocates have worried for years that someone would be injured or killed crossing Staton Road, which is often lined with parked cars when the Hooker Falls lot is full. That overflow has occurred more often as DuPont's popularity skyrocketed following its featured role in the “Hunger Games” film and national magazines.</p><p>The forest had a historic-high 358,000 visitors in 2012, nearly half of whom parked at Hooker Falls.</p><p>Another parking area with 60 spaces will be added at Hooker Falls following construction of the pedestrian bridge, MacDonald said, and the connections between the lots will be widened to allow two-way traffic. Holly Road and Moore Cemetery Road will also be closed temporarily during work.</p><p>Tree-clearing and site preparation work by the N.C. Forest Service and N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation began last week. Officials hope to widely publicize the upcoming closures so visitors can adjust their plans and expectations during the forest's “growing pains,” MacDonald said.</p><p>“There were some folks last week that were kind of disappointed when we had the area closed,” he said. “We'll do the best to get the word out. In the end, it will be a better place to visit and safer, and this is just part of that process.”</p><p>For updates on trail and parking access, visit www.ncforestservice.gov/contacts/dsf.htm or www.facebook.com/NCForestService.</p><p><b>More improvements on the way</b></p><p>The bridge and parking lots improvements, funded by the N.C. Department of Transportation, are among a host of improvements coming to DuPont this summer. On July 1, the forest will open its Aleen Steinberg Center at the High Falls Access, which will provide educational exhibits and visitor information.</p><p>The newly remodeled 2,600-square-foot visitor center is being funded with $85,000 from Friends of DuPont Forest and $277,000 allocated from a $2.24 million settlement the state won from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Manager Bob Twomey said the volunteer-run center will be the “hub of activity and the first access point for visitors.”</p><p>Working with Friends, Trout Unlimited, Pisgah Trailblazers and other groups, Twomey has already gotten 39 applications and signed up 15 volunteers to staff the center. He said the rustic log building will feature “magnificent displays,” the most prominent of which will be a 7-by-8-foot raised relief map of the forest's core showing waterfalls, trails and peaks.</p><p>The Apple Valley Model Railroad Club has volunteered to create the map, Twomey said, which will be on par with the “amazing displays” at the Historic Depot on Maple Street. EcoWise Construction of Hendersonville is remodeling the center.</p><p>Trail crews are also scheduled to finish extending about a mile of Turkey Knob Trail over to Briery Fork Trail in time for a June 1 opening, MacDonald said. High Falls Trail has already been extended to the Steinberg Center and improvements to the Grassy Creek and Grassy Meadows Trails are also in the works.</p>